


The Process of Erosion

by Lullabymoon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: minerva_fest, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-11
Updated: 2012-10-11
Packaged: 2017-11-18 14:28:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/562062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lullabymoon/pseuds/Lullabymoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If it was the last thing she did, she would make sure there was lasting peace this time.  </p>
            </blockquote>





	The Process of Erosion

**Author's Note:**

> For selmak's prompt at minerva_fest: After the events of DH, Minerva decides the hell with tradition and to throw out the House system at Hogwarts. You can pretend that Remus survived and he is the House Head of Gryffindor. I mean, would you trust your children with Hagrid?
> 
> Thanks to C for the beta and kellychambliss for the last minute edits.

_2nd May 1998_

The air was finally still. The survivors were resting in the remains of the Great Hall, and the injured had been taken to the make shift infirmary. Only the dead remained outside with her, and it broke her heart to see some of the children among them. Minerva closed her eyes to stop tears forming; she wasn't sure she could stop herself from crying if she started, and there was still so much to do.

It almost felt unreal, this feeling of safety, of this war finally being over.

She forced herself back to reality, and she opened her eyes again. She turned and took in the damage to the castle.

She saw lights flickering from the windows in the Great Hall, the rest of the castle in unaccustomed darkness. Even in the near darkness of approaching midnight she could make out where there were holes in the exterior walls, dark patches where roofs should have been and the rubble littering the ground. And that was only what she could see from here.

So much to rebuild, so much to recover from.

She forced herself to take a deep breath. She done it before, they all had, but not quite on this scale.

"Never again." The words sounded loud in the quietness, and her voice sounded hoarse. If it was the last thing she did, she would make sure there was lasting peace this time.

\--

_2nd September 1998_

She wasn't entirely sure what a visit now from Kingsley boded, not when he was so busy as acting Minister for Magic. He had trusted her enough to leave the rebuilding of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade to her, after a little convincing anyway, and his visit to check on progress last week had gone according to plan.

He hadn't expressed any worries and had seemed impressed with the work that had been done so far. The couple of enquiries he had wanted her input on had been done by letter, or fire call, but the fact he had asked her to block off an hour for her schedule for this meeting was troubling. Either there was something too big to deal with using either of those means, and she had to admit the thought made her heart sink, or Kingsley needed a break from all the politicking.

She was favouring the former. Whilst friendly and companionable, she and Kingsley had never had the sort of friendship where one confided intimacies. Perhaps in time they would grow closer, especially if they were going to be working closely together, but she had lost too many friends for that to happen easily.

She stepped into her office just as the flames in her fireplace flared green. Kingsley shook himself off, and the portraits nodded and greeted him before appearing to snooze again. She knew them well enough to know they were only pretending and would deluge her later with their opinions of the conversation.

Kingsley nodded a greeting to them before he glanced around them all. He glanced back at her, and it was apparent he hadn't spent enough time around them to realise they were pretending.

"Minerva."

"Kingsley." She gestured to the chairs opposite the fireplace, a less formal setting than sitting on opposite sides of her desk.

He took a seat gratefully. "Perhaps some tea? It has been a long day."

She nodded and gestured to one of the house elves. She struggled not to raise an eyebrow at his behaviour. Kingsley was not normally so forward, even when times were wearing.

A tray appeared a moment later, and she poured for him.

"I must admit, I was curious about the urgency of this."

Kingsley smiled. "Nothing serious," he reassured her. "I had heard a few reports of Hogwarts reopening and wanted to see the final for myself."

She took a sip of her tea and assessed him. He was looking at her with concern. "It will be easy enough to arrange another tour for you to see what has happened in the last week. It will certainly give the students something else to talk about." She let one corner of her mouth curl upward, anticipating his denial.

"I'm certain it is all under control." He smiled reassuringly again.

"But you aren't certain, are you?" There was no point in beating around the bush.

He replaced his cup in its saucer with a delicate clink. "It was a massive undertaking, and I shouldn't have left you to manage on your own."

She raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrank back slightly. She bit back the brief spike of pleasure that she could still manage that on him, so long after him leaving Hogwarts and after working together. She put her cup down as well. "A tour then. We wouldn't want you to have any doubts, and the fresh air will do us both a world of good." She brooked no arguments, and he acquiesced, probably due to the faint trace of annoyance she couldn't hide in her tone.

He nodded at the students as they walked through the castle, appearing interested in all the work that had been done since his last visit. They had finished repairs so that enough classrooms were in teachable condition and there was enough usable dormitory space, even if Gryffindor were still housed in temporary accommodation whilst the tower was getting its final repairs. The castle was clear of rubble, most of the stairways open again, and only a few areas were still completely out of bounds. The grounds looked nowhere near their usual splendour at this time of year, but that couldn't be helped.

Yet still, she was sure that wasn't the heart of the matter. There was still some concern in his every action, and it clearly wasn't from how much work was still left to do.

He straightened as they approached the Great Hall, and she repressed a sigh. She might have expected as much. He took in the sight of the four house tables, shorter than they had been, and the large collection of round tables, dotted about the top half of the hall.

He turned towards her, an apology on his face.

She stood impassively, repressing the curl of her lips when he grew uneasy under her gaze.

"I am sorry, Minerva, for not offering more assistance this summer."

"We have managed just fine."

He looked at the tables again.

"The students went though a lot last year, bonded out with their house groups. It's only fair we don't break apart those bonds."

He looked almost disbelieving, as if she was covering how much of a cost the repairs had taken on her.

"At least let us find someone to cover for your NEWT-level transfiguration classes."

"Somehow, I don't think that will go down well." She didn't bother to try and keep the wryness out of her tone.

He raised an eyebrow before he conceded her point.

"We had a few concerned reports. I just wanted to make sure you weren't over-tiring yourself."

She nodded. "And do you think I am?"

He smiled, properly this time. "No more than you ever do."

She could see he was more relaxed know, and she relaxed herself as she grinned wryly in acknowledgment of his point.

"Are you sure it was wisest to take a new intake of first years this year?" There was still a ring of concern in his tone though.

"What else would we have done? Have a double class next year? That would have thrown accommodations off for the next seven years. And I don't think I have to remind you that whilst those with magical parents might be able to cope with the extra years delay in teaching, muggle-borns wouldn't, and your hit squads would be working over time."

He nodded as he conceded her point again.

"Very well. You will let me know if you need any help."

"Is that an order, Minister?"

He sighed. "No, Minerva. Just a plea."

She nodded again, and they talked idly of his own rebuilding works as she escorted him back to her fire place.

She sat down behind her desk once he was gone and pulled the latest pile of paperwork to deal with.

She got as far as dipping her quill into ink before she was disturbed by the chattering of the portraits. She carried on reading until she was addressed directly.

"How is Kingsley getting on these days?"

"The same as ever, Albus, though with less sleep than he is accustomed to."

Silence fell again.

"Are you going to make me ask?"

She could hear the humour in his tone, and it made her heart ache a little more for his loss. She placed the quill down, careful not to splatter ink on her desk, and looked at Albus' portrait.

"He was concerned about my well-being. Apparently there had been a few reports about the students' tables."

Severus snorted, but he didn't say anything.

"And did he say anything further?"

She sat back in the chair. "No. He took my explanation perfectly well."

Albus sighed when she didn't say anything further. It seemed that portrait-form had reduced his patience and ability to wait her out. "Did he say anything about the Sorting Hat?"

She could see the rest of the portraits watching with bated breath, so to speak, though they were content to let Albus do the talking.

"No, he didn't ask at all." She let loose the small smile that had been hovering and picked up her quill again.

\--

_1st September 1999_

The last of the students filed out of the Great Hall, and conversation at the teachers' table suddenly picked up. Remus and Filius, seated on either side of her, turned to her and looked questioningly at her. She shook her head sharply to indicate not here, and they bit back the words they had been on the verge of saying.

The staff decamped to the staff room, breaking up into smaller groups, and she could hear most of the chatter was about the summer holidays.

Not so the heads of house. Pomona, Remus, Filius and Horace crowded around her. Nothing unusual in that, a chat about the latest additions to their house and a tally was somewhat of a tradition. She had known them all too long to be surprised they had picked up on the slightly more regular randomness of the sorting this year, and the fact it had sung a song of reconciliation for the second year in a row was bound to raise a few eyebrows.

She shook her head at the cacophony of voices. "The Hat is fine." They quietened and waited for further explanation. "There are still wounds to be healed, and it merely wanted to remind us all of that."

Remus looked bemused. "You talked… with the Hat?"

Bless him; it was rather amusing how he could still look bemused about some of Hogwarts eccentricities.

The other three heads looked eager for an answer as well, Horace in particular. She smiled slightly. "Of course." She didn't say anything else and let them chat amongst themselves about their new students.

Filius and Pomona both knew her well enough not to press for any further information, though Remus kept glancing across to her briefly, and she could tell he was still a little bewildered.

She barely blinked when Horace casually mentioned there were a couple of extra half bloods in his house now, despite how the term made her blood boil, instead picked up her teacup and calmly diverted to conversation to the topic of the House cup.

\--

_1st September 2000_

The heads followed her out of the Great Hall and swept ahead of everyone else as they walked into the staff room. The younger staff members almost looked alarmed, but she spent a moment reassuring them before leisurely sitting beside the group, ensconcing herself with a cup of tea and a biscuit. It was a relief to be able to not have to sit ramrod straight and generally put on her teacher persona.

"Minerva," Remus was the first to speak, and she was pleased to see it. He was finally feeling comfortable enough in his role to take the lead in these meetings, rather than letting one of the more experienced members have first say.

"Remus," she said after she took a sip of tea.

"What did the Hat say during your chat?"

She smiled briefly. "We discussed the weather actually. It seems the Hat rather likes hearing the descriptions." She took another sip, and only years of practice stopped her from choking as Pomona rolled her eyes at her and muttered under her breath about being dolally being part of the job description.

"Nothing out of the ordinary?" Remus still looked concerned.

She shook her head.

"Perhaps it is just one of those years where the order is appropriate. It has happened before." Filius looked as if he was trying to convince himself, but Horace was looking at her with suspicion.

She didn't say anything.

Remus turned to Filius. "The Hat has sorted students almost alphabetically into houses before?"

Filius nodded. "I doubt any one else would notice, though; it is only the heads of house that are initially notified of who the muggle-borns are. That would have confused the order of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw then Slytherin enough that most people wouldn't notice."

"So it still didn't sort muggle-borns into Slytherin? Surely that is a good sign?"

"Perhaps not for my House, Remus," Horace spoke up.

She blinked and had to remind herself that there was a reason Horace had lasted so long as a teacher and head of house. He was capable of seeing the bigger picture sometimes.

"True, Horace. There were a number of mixed children sorted in the last two years though." She took a sip of her tea. "Not all progress happens over night."

Pomona grinned at her, and she was glad at least someone had an idea of what she was doing. She wouldn't want to accuse her staff of being idiots, but perhaps they were too used to Albus' schemes and her being the one to question them for their own good.

"How very Slytherin of you, Minerva." Horace sounded pleased.

"Well, a Head has to embody the qualities of all the houses." She took another sip of her tea as silence reigned for a minute.

Remus nodded, and the inevitable discussion about who was going to win the cup this year began.

\--

_1st September 2001_

She wasn't sure whether to say anything as Remus and Filius examined the Hat. Horace and Pomona had simply glanced at her after the tally of new students to the houses had been taken, looking like they had an idea at least she had a grand plan, but surely Filius would have cottoned on by now.

The portraits had been no help; quite the contrary, discussions over the summer had left her even more unsure about how much to reveal.

She was acutely aware that keeping secrets, especially ones such as these, were dangerous, but at the same time she didn't want to be accused of interfering unnecessarily.

"The Hat is more than aware of what it is doing," she said instead.

Remus and Filius paused. "Are you sure, Minerva? That's the second year in a row it had sorted the same way."

"Certainly. We had a discussion last week."

No one was going to be put off by the weather discussion answer this time, and she hid a smile at how stubborn her staff were.

"It is as concerned about the state of our world as everyone else and wants to contribute to change for the better."

Everyone stopped still at that, even Pomona and Horace.

She sighed and called for tea.

She waited until everyone was settled, which was remarkably quick, a sure sign of how shocked they were.

"We've had had two wars in the last thirty years, and the Hat wants to safeguard the future."

She didn't add she was a deciding factor in the Hat's plan, or that it was her plan to begin with. They relaxed, accepting that explanation.

"But you're helping, aren't you? I knew you were up to something." Pomona grinned.

She dipped her head in acknowledgment. Filius looked a little shocked that she hadn't told him. She imagined it was the look she wore often when working with Albus, and that wasn't a pleasant feeling.

He pushed past that, though, as she herself had done on many occasions. "And what exactly is its plan? Simply to assign house on the random position of their surname rather than what is best suited?"

She sighed. "We are judging children at eleven, and they spend the next seven years, and many beyond that, dealing with that, despite how they might change." She raised an eyebrow. "How is this any different?"

Filius looked thoughtful, and the room fell into silence again. They eventually turned to discussing another few urgent matters, and then gradually they faded away until she was left alone with the portraits.

"How interesting you didn't tell them it was your plan." She could hear the sneer in Severus' voice, and suddenly she felt tired.

She was still keeping secrets from her closest friends, and the feeling didn't sit well with her.

"It seems keeping secrets from the staff is part of the job description." Her tone was more bitter than she would have liked.

Severus and Albus blanked their expressions, and she was suddenly too angry at everything to say anything else.

\--

_1st September 2002_

Horace had the audacity to wink at her in the staffroom when the tally of first years was finalized, and the pattern of the last few years was still evident.

She gripped her teacup tighter and pressed her lips together so as not to say a word. Pomona offered her a refill from the teapot, and Remus and Filius started up an animated discussion about a duelling competition they had witnessed over the summer.

\--

_1st September 2004_

Despite his words over the last couple of years, she could still hear the sudden intake of breath from Horace as the first muggle-born was sorted into Slytherin. She hated him a little more for that.

She forgave him slightly when he relaxed after the second muggle-born joined in Slytherin, though the distaste lingered.

Horace gave no sign he realised her reaction when they moved to the staff room. The heads of houses were gathered around her, and they were chatting animatedly.

Remus glanced at her, then smiled slightly. "Let me guess, you already knew the Hat was going to sort muggle-borns into Slytherin."

She smiled slightly and nodded. "The Hat felt it was time, given that most of these children were too young to remember much of the war, and there is now a healthy selection of mixed children in Slytherin."

No one batted an eyelid at that, and a part of her wished they would see through her deception. That part was quickly quashed as she still wasn't sure what was accepted as an eccentricity by the Hat would be seen as nothing more than meddling from her.

She let herself get swept away in the discussion, taking careful note of everyone's reactions so she could tell the portraits later.

\--

_2nd September 2005_

She raised an eyebrow at Horace.

"There's no need for that, Minerva. I was merely commenting that Slytherin now has the most muggle-borns it has ever had."

She took a sip of her tea, then placed her empty cup on the table. The rest of the small group fell silent, and she looked over the tops of her glasses at him.

"Will you be able to handle that, Horace? It is not too late to find a replacement if you wish to retire?" She hated having to phrase it so politely, but she had managed to rein her temper in somewhat since she had become Headmistress.

"Of course, of course," Horace flustered and a buzz started up around the table.

\--

_3rd September 2006_

She sank back into her chair. The first Friday night after term began was always hectic, and she was looking forward to an hour's peace and quiet.

It was not to be. There was a knock at her office door, and at her shout Filius entered.

He didn’t look happy.

"Did you think we wouldn’t realise the new sorting was your plan all along?" He spoke before she could ask what was wrong.

He looked incredibly hurt, and she tried not to let her temper flare. They were the ones who hadn’t realised. Even when she didn’t know about Albus' plans, she had always recognised when he was planning.

"No, I just didn't think it would take this long for you and Pomona to realise." Her temper flared anyway, and Filius looked apologetic.

"Minerva."

She closed her eyes for a second, and she knew she looked just as apologetic. "I know, Filius, I am too."

He sighed and pulled himself onto the chair opposite her, and she called for tea.

She ignored the smug expression on Severus' face.

\--

_18th November 2007_

She looked up from her dinner at the sound of a fight breaking out at one of the house tables. The mere act of looking directly at the fight was enough for the surrounding students to pull the two boys apart. It didn't appear to be anything more than a scuffle, and it subsided easily enough. She made a note of the boys' names and frowned when she realised it was more than likely house rivalry kicking up again.

She finished her dinner in thoughtful silence.

\--

She stared at the book in front of her, almost too lost in thought to take much notice of the words. The portraits were chatting amongst themselves quietly, and the sound was somewhat calming.

Albus, no surprises there, was the first to speak up.

"By my count, you have read the same page three times." He looked both concerned and slightly amused.

She missed him more than ever.

"Probably going senile." Severus piped in, and she missed him as well. It wasn't the same, having an argument with a portrait, however much their personality infused it. Some days she wasn't sure that the pain of half seeing them was worth it.

"More like trying to think without you all nattering in my ear," she replied before Severus could accuse her of going deaf as well.

She pulled forward a piece of parchment and began writing. A hush fell over the room, and as she finished writing, she glanced up at the portraits to find them watching her avidly. She raised an eyebrow, and Dilys answered.

"We were just wondering what had you thinking so deeply."

"I need to do some research."

Silence fell until Phineas grumped. "Well, don't make us wait!"

She hid a smile.

"There are still some rivalries that are spilling over, and I admit that I may need some new strategies."

"And the letter?"

"Enquiring about education conferences."

There was a splutter or two from the portraits, but she ignored them.

"Excellent, my dear. I'm sure you'll find a wealth of ideas." Albus beamed, and with his proclamation the rest of them quietened down.

\--

_15th March 2008_

She arrived back in her office with a weary sigh. The last couple of days had been more than educational, but they had also been a whirlwind of emotion. It had taken her a while to feel truly comfortable; it had been a long time since she had attended anything similar, especially where there were no familiar faces. Fortunately any quirks of hers, or their educational practises, were quickly written off by the fact she worked at a private school. There had in fact been a couple of jokes about them being caught in the dark ages, though they had been quickly brushed aside by others.

She didn't like it.

It was a relief to be able to sit down to a cup of tea and a ginger biscuit without having to be on her best behaviour or be at all sociable. She treated herself to another biscuit as she began to think. There had been a lot of good ideas at the conference, and she was going to have to carefully plan her next steps.

\--

_5th April 2008_

The staff didn't look particularly happy to have a meeting this early on the first day of the Easter Holidays, but she wanted everyone to have time to think about her proposal whilst they had the advantage of more free time.

"I take it this is about the conference in March?" Horace was making his displeasure well known, and it was somewhat of a relief to remind herself that he was retiring at the end of June.

"Partially." She sat down now that she had everyone's full attention. "It's about one idea in particular that I would like to try out." She could see most of the staff tense, though Remus looked rather eager to hear what she had to say, and Filius already knew.

"We already adjust the classes at NEWT level so that everyone is roughly on the same level with regards to ability, and I would like to do the same for classes starting from third year." There was silence around the table for a minute as they absorbed the information; then everyone started talking at once.

She let them talk amongst themselves for a minute, getting their ideas out, then raised an eyebrow.

It was a tactic that worked on the teachers as well as the students, and everyone hushed.

"Understandably, it would not be all classes, but those subjects that run two classes a year. Instead of dividing the year by house, it would be by ability."

"Would that not mean extra work?" Louise, the youngest addition to the staff as the new Astronomy teacher, asked.

She conceded the point. "As an annual one-off event, yes. There would need to be a judgement over the summer holidays about which class to put the student in, but after that, it should lighten the load."

There were a few disbelieving stares.

"How much easier is it to teach NEWT level, where the students are working at roughly the same pace? There would be fewer frustrated students who are either waiting for everyone else to catch up or trying to make themselves faster and failing."

There were one or two nods around the table, and chatter broke out again.

"How we would sort them?" Pomona asked.

"It would mostly be based on their overall grades in first and second year, especially for those subjects new to third years, but it would be up to the individual teacher to decide the cut off point. You know your students after all." She paused to let that sink in. "This is still very much an idea, and I want your input before we start discussing the finer details."

"Would we just start with the third years?" Remus asked. "I would imagine the fourth and fifth years would question why they were being rearranged."

She nodded. "It makes sense to see how one year gets on before going any further."

Chattering started up again, and she could tell she wasn't going to get much more said. It didn't matter; she had said what she wanted to say so, she called the meeting to a halt. They would be eager to get back to their holidays after all.

She stood again. "That will be all. I will call another meeting near the end of the holidays to get everyone's views on the matter."

There were nods of agreement around the table, and she watched as everyone trailed out, animatedly talking amongst themselves. She felt rather pleased at how well the idea had gone down.

\--

_15th August 2008_

She collapsed into her chair. She really should send word to Filius about finally getting the Governors' approval for the new splitting of the classes, but the meeting had left her exhausted.

Albus spoke up first. "I understand the Governors approved your plan for the third years?" He was smiling.

She wasn't going to ask where he got his information and nodded. "After much heated discussion." She sighed. "It's conditional on how well this year turns out, though."

"Shall we get the heads?" Dilys asked.

She nodded. She would start with the heads of house, then after dinner she would prepare the rest of the staff. They were more or less organised, having done so to convince the Governors of the viability of the plan. There were still details to finalize, though, and timetables to double check, before the end of the summer holidays.

She smiled, though, at the progress they were making. She wiped it just in time for Pomona to knock.

Pomona picked up on how pleased she was anyway.

\--

_2nd July 2009_

She put her quill down, finally having finished the annual report for the Governors to peruse. This last year had been a success by many measures, including the students' grades. There hadn't been any complaints about the new system, and all the lessons she had sat in on, not all of them beknownst to her staff, had went very well.

More importantly, the staff were keen to carry on with the new system and given the state of affairs, she couldn't see why the Governors would disagree with her.

\--

_13th January 2020_

She was taking her time walking along the corridor, age finally catching up with her though she was loathe to admit it. At least the Ministry corridors were warm, and she had been sitting for the better part of the last hour as she met with the newest education officer.

She stopped walking when Kingsley joined her.

"Minerva."

"Kingsley."

He was looking much better these days since he had returned to the Auror division after retiring as Minister of Magic.

"Would you like a cup of tea before you head back to Hogwarts?"

The question seemed polite enough, but she knew him well enough to know there was something he wanted to talk about.

She nodded and soon found herself in his guest chair, the fire roaring and blazing heat into the room. She let him carry the small talk until he worked himself up to speaking what was on his mind.

"I had an interesting discussion with Ron and Harry yesterday."

She raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Kingsley sighed. "They were discussing how things at Hogwarts had changed since they were there."

"Since they weren't getting up to mischief on an annual basis, you mean?" She took a sip of her tea. She reminded herself not to take anymore; it was far too weak for her liking.

"Not entirely." When she didn't reply, Kingsley took a long appraising look at her.

He sighed and shook his head. "You spent too much time with Dumbledore." He said it like he didn't know whether it was supposed to be a compliment or an insult.

She quirked her lips, amused whatever way he meant it.

He placed his teacup down and looked directly at her again. "I hope you know what you are doing."

"The children are flourishing."

"That is not what I meant, and you know that."

She didn't reply again. Instead she put her cup down and stood, slower than she would have liked. She shook out the skirt of her robes. "Thank you for the tea, Kingsley, but I had best get back to Hogwarts."

He stood as well, and thought better of whatever he was going to say. He politely saw her out of his office, but based on the last look he gave her, he wasn't going to let the matter settle.

She flooed back to her office and pushed the threat aside. It was of no consequence to her. The children were indeed flourishing, and the current generation were shaping up rather nicely, more vocal about equal rights, and the wounds of the war finally seemed to be vanishing.

For that, she would take whatever Kingsley and the Ministry threw at her.


End file.
